Organizing Ideas

I’ve got this pile of note cards, so now what do I do?

Rationale A good paper has a logical sense of

flow (coherence). Imagine driving to a place that

you’ve never visited before-how would you prepare for that trip? Stop along the way and ask people for

directions… OR

Get on-line or to a store and get a map…

The Answer is Get a Map Just as a map gives driving

directions, outlines give your paper “driving directions.” Beginning research often takes us in

unintended directions. Beginning research often leads us to

ask previously unthought-of questions. Beginning research sometimes makes

us realize a lack of or gap in information.

Why Outline? It forces you to think

about the logical progression of information in your paper.

It draws attention to gaps or conflicts.

It keeps you from driving into uncharted territory.

Here there be monsters.

How to Outline You started your research with a

few questions: What makes this happen? Why is this good/bad? What is the consequence of this

action? Your research has given you some

answers and probably given you more questions.

How to Outline—A Rough Draft (where you wanted to go when you started)

Write down your working thesis statement

Jot down, in outline form, your main ideas, conflicts, terminologies

Under each main thought, jot down a few supporting examples

Jot down the conclusion—a call for action, a question, a restatement

How to Outline

Consider your note cards and your rough outline. Match up the note cards to the points

in your rough. Make new points for the important

ideas your research has added. Set aside (don’t throw away) note

cards that just don’t quite “fit”.

How to Outline Like choosing a route on a map, consider the

information on the note cards and the rough outline: Is this the most direct route I can go? (does the evidence

support the thesis?) What type of vehicle would best suit my drive? (narration,

description, definition compare/contrast) Where are the “must-see” tourist attractions on my route?

(the main examples) Are there any speed traps or road construction areas on my

route? (things that are unclear and that will slow down the reader)

Depending upon your paper, there are several different paradigms to use (See Organizational Paradigms ppt)

How to Outline—A Final Draft Now that you’ve clarified your route,

thought about the sights along the way, and avoided the cops and construction, you can begin to finalize your trip. Parallelism Coordination Subordination Division (see Organizing Your Writing ppt)

Information on the next four slides created by Jennifer Duncan. It can be found at: http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~tlsweb/TWC/Outline.pdf

Parallelism Put your words in the same grammatical

order. If your first heading is “Researching the

Topic” (verb, noun), then your next should be: Generating the Ideas Idea Generation

Don’t be too rigid about this as sometimes it won’t make sense to do it.

If you chose “Generating the Ideas”, you were correct. It has the same verb, noun structure.

Coordination

Subordination

Division

Separating the kinds of points you make.

There are several options—LATCH (see Organizing Your Writing ppt)

Be consistent by using only one basis of division at each point.

Make the basis of division distinct.

Information created by Jennifer Duncan. It can be found at:http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~tlsweb/TWC/Outline.pdf

The Final Draft Using standard symbols (I, A, 1., a), create the outline with key words, evidence and facts

I. IntroductionA. Attention grabber (see Intro and Conclusion ppt)B. Thesis (highlight or label as thesis)

II. BodyA. Major point that supports thesisB. Major point that supports thesis

1. Fact/example 2. Fact/example

C. Major point that supports thesis 1. Fact/example

a. sub statementIII. Conclusion

A. Wrap up ideas in paper.

B. Concluding thought (see Intro and Conclusion ppt)

Use complete sentences

in all areas!

If you have a “1”, you must have a “2”.

Likewise, if you have an “a”, must have a

“b”.

Use Roman numerals for 3 main sections

Use capital letters.

Use ordinal numbers here.

Use small letters here.

Reminders Always organize within the essay or

paper (remember LATCH). The supporting ideas are what make

the paper worth reading. Expert opinions from research Real world examples (use a fictional

character) Statistics and numbers

Use the PIE or Quotation Sandwhich within paragraphs!

How to Outline—A Final Draft

Finally, you’ve written an outline. Directions are clear You know where additional support is

needed. You know what is not important to the

immediate paper. But wait, there’s one more step!

How to Outline—A Final Draft For each point, fact, or key word in your

outline: Write a complete sentence.

Some of this will be the “great” quotes you found during research.

Some of these will serve as topic sentences for paragraphs.

Use direct, concise language. Explain any technical terms in layman’s

language.

Bon Voyage

Remember that you are taking a trip, not running in the Indy 500.

Take pictures of your trip. Call for reservations at hotels. Travel with someone you like. Pack for emergencies.